The follow-up to Square Enix’s reveal of the Final Fantasy VII Remake has been tumultuous at best, with fans either rejecting or remaining optimistic to the changes being made to the game.
One major change is the game’s battle system, which originally used the series’ staple Active Time Battle mechanics. In an interview (via KH13) with the latest Dengeki, game director Tetsuya Nomura talked up the game’s battle system.
“If it had past materials like Kingdom Hearts, the basics would have been easy to understand, and the staff can understand the hurdles we’ve had to overcome, but at any rate, the battles in Final Fantasy VII have greatly changed from the original, since they’re something with more action in them,” Nomura explained.
The next time I release information about Final Fantasy VII Remake, I think that I’ll definitely have to explain the specifics of what the battle system has become to the players. I think right now that nobody is really able to imagine a concrete battle, so I’m in the middle of coming up with steps that I can show and explain to people, ‘It’s this kind of battle.’”
This comes after Nomura previously said the game’s combat is not completely action-based.
Fans have also been concerned over the game’s original content being altered, due to the political climate surrounding controversial subjects in games. Coming from this, Nomura noted that scenes like the Honey Bee Inn have to be carefully implemented.
Nomura addressed fans who want to play the game with the original combat system, noting they had to drop it due to the game’s focus on action.
“We’ve heard a lot of Final Fantasy VII fans also say that they want to play the game with the original ATB style, but for the remake we’re proceeding toward an action-heavy style. Of course, we’ve added systems that future fans will be able to enjoy, so people who are bad at action-style battles, please don’t worry.”
He continued: “For those who excel at action-style battles, we’re working to make this a system that’s different than what you’ve used before and can still enjoy. Recently, we checked the Guard Scorpion at the beginning of the game, and I think you’ll be satisfied with the realism you’ll feel there.”
Finally, Nomura teased up the game’s 20th anniversary, which goes down next year. How do you guys feel about the game’s battle system widely embracing action-heavy combat? Sound off in the comments below!
